Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:
- That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
- We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
- On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.
By learning about El Ranchito (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.
As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for El Ranchito. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Name Variations for El Ranchito ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
El Ranchito has also been known as: El Ranchito Colonia.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named El Ranchito. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for El Ranchito.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
El Ranchito is located in Jim Wells County.
To see how the shape of Texas' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Jim Wells County: Brooks, Duval, Kleberg, Live Oak, Nueces & San Patricio.
Below are the counties that are near El Ranchito. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to El Ranchito:
- Jim Wells County (The home county of El Ranchito)
- The following are listed by their distance from El Ranchito, with the one closest to El Ranchito listed first.
- Westdale
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Westdale is located in Jim Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westdale
- Orange Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- K-Bar Ranch
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- K-Bar Ranch is located in Jim Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for K-Bar Ranch
- Alfred - South La Paloma
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Casa Blanca
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Casa Blanca is located in Jim Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casa Blanca
- Owl Ranch - Amargosa
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Owl Ranch - Amargosa is located in Jim Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owl Ranch - Amargosa
- Sandia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Pernitas Point
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pernitas Point is located in Jim Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pernitas Point
- Alice
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Water City Estates
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Water City Estates is located in Jim Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water City Estates
- Water City Estates has also been known as:
- Water City Estates Colonia
- Rancho Alegre
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Rancho Alegre is located in Jim Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rancho Alegre
- Alice Acres
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Alice Acres is located in Jim Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice Acres
- Alice Acres has also been known as:
- Alice Acres Colonia
- Bee County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Ranchito, with the one closest to El Ranchito listed first.
- Tynan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clareville ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Clareville is located in Bee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clareville
- Skidmore
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Duval County
- San Diego
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Live Oak County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Ranchito, with the one closest to El Ranchito listed first.
- Dinero
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Mikeska
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Mikeska is located in Live Oak County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mikeska
- George West
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Ike
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Ike is located in Live Oak County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ike
- Nueces County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Ranchito, with the one closest to El Ranchito listed first.
- Sandy Hollow - Escondidas
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Agua Dulce
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bluntzer
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Bluntzer is located in Nueces County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluntzer
- Rancho Banquete
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Rancho Banquete is located in Nueces County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rancho Banquete
- Banquete
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Garden - Terra Verde
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- North San Pedro
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- North San Pedro is located in Nueces County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North San Pedro
- Calallen
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- La Paloma - Lost Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Robstown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Driscoll
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bishop
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- San Patricio County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Ranchito, with the one closest to El Ranchito listed first.
- Lake City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lake City is located in San Patricio County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 514 people
- Edgewater - Paisano
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Edgewater - Paisano is located in San Patricio County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewater - Paisano
- Lakeside
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lakeside is located in San Patricio County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
- Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
- Paisano
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Paisano is located in San Patricio County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paisano
- Paisano has also been known as:
- Paisano Park Colonia
- Paisano Park
- Lakeshore Gardens - Hidden Acres
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- San Patricio
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- San Patricio is located in San Patricio County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Patricio
- Population from the 2020 Census: 366 people
- Mathis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Vahlsing
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Vahlsing is located in San Patricio County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vahlsing
- Edroy
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Odem
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Odem is located in San Patricio County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,380 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odem <1>
- Morgan Farm
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Morgan Farm is located in San Patricio County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Farm
- Morgan Farm has also been known as:
- Morgan Farm Colonia
- Saint Paul
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Saint Paul is located in San Patricio County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to El Ranchito, see our County-by-County Page for El Ranchito.
Cemeteries Near El Ranchito ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of El Ranchito.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for El Ranchito - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for El Ranchito covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from El Ranchito, with the one closest to El Ranchito listed first.
- Dilworth Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Reynolds Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Adams Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Wade Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Villareal Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- McNeill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Amargosa Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Old Ranch Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Latham Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham Cemetery
- The Latham Cemetery has also been known as:
- Anna Rose Cemetery
- Ramirena Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2283073 <2>
- Rose Lawn Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Lagarto Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Garcia Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Continue List (56 more) ...
- San Jose Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Descanso Eterno Cemetery No. 2
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tom Mathis Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
While we didn't find El Ranchito in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of El Ranchito.
These communities are listed based on their distance from El Ranchito, with the one closest to El Ranchito listed first.
- Lagarto
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lagarto is located in Live Oak County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lagarto
- Agua Dulce
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- San Patricio
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- San Patricio is located in San Patricio County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Patricio
- Population from the 2020 Census: 366 people
- Mathis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Banquete
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- San Diego
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Driscoll
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- La Para
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- La Para is located in Live Oak County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Para
- Skidmore
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Papalote
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Papalote is located in Bee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Papalote
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around El Ranchito. See our List of 1890's Communities around El Ranchito.
Newspapers Published in El Ranchito ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around El Ranchito.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of El Ranchito, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for El Ranchito.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to El Ranchito:
- Websites specific to Texas
- Pages specific to Jim Wells County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bee County
- Duval County
- Live Oak County
- Nueces County
- San Patricio County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Texas
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about El Ranchito, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- El Ranchito) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |